ADHD Hunter's An ADHD LifeADHD Hunter's An ADHD Li

I have one foot stuck in the overwhelm as if it were quicksand. I sometimes forget my own advice. When we are most overwhelmed it’s time to stop chasing the work and regroup. Between a crashed car, some computer and staffing setbacks on the workfront, working up to the launch of the Academy and a general feeling of exhaustion, I’m feeling stretched more than a little thin. I am walking around with four large briefcases loaded with notes and to-do’s. The growing sense that I am very likely missing some important fact or have forgotten a promised call is adding to my stress. So here’s the fix. Nothing is more important than an immediate, commando-style house cleaning. Sorting through my work, page-by-page, I will re-organize, re-prioritize and re-energize. (I know – that’s a lot of “re-ing”, but it must be done!) This will not be a week-long process. The trick here is to make quick decisions, triaging the situation, like an emergency room medic: What notes are already dead? (They’ve been superseded, are too late to address or are no longer relevant.) Off to the shredder! What items should be filed away for future reference? Organize them for quick insertion into your files. What issues need to be addressed in the coming hours or days? Collect these notes in one place. A note pad or calendar will do the trick. What remains will likely be important tasks due some time in the coming weeks and months. These items can be organized by the date they will likely be addressed or the relative priority they have to each other. You may feel too overwhelmed to take this time. You may be justifiably concerned that this is just another impulsive act you can’t afford. Taking a couple of focused hours reorganizing will be time well spent. If you are feeling like you are being buried alive in the demands in front of you, taking the time to sort it all out will have the following effects: You will stop worrying about and staring at things that no longer matter. Your stress levels will drop considerably. You will reduce the likelihood of forgetting some important tasks on the horizon. Your thoughts will be clearer, as you can now focus on just the most important task directly in front of you. You will rest easier and sleep better without your fears getting the best of you. How do you restore calm and control when you find yourself becoming overwhelmed? Share your thoughts, below.

Procrastination’s power grows quietly. It’s stealthy. It comes in under your awareness radar. Before you know it, your deadline is fast approaching and your anxiety is starting to twitch. How do you beat procrastination? You take a sledghammer to the fly and smash it before it grows. Whenever I put aside a small, simple task, I have  justification at the time. It will usually be something like “having plenty of time” or the task “needs more thought before acting”. Almost invariably, these items end up being addressed late and poorly completed at the last minute. When something hits your desk or catches your attention, often a minute or two spent immediately will be enough to put the task to bed, or move it on its way. I began writing a note to myself to contact an associate about a client issue. Half way through the note, I realized that the note would float in and out of my organizer. I would begin to feel like it should have been addressed earlier, causing a sense of guilt and further procrastination. I stopped, typed up a quick e-mail and sent the information on its way. Don’t turn small tasks into next month’s nightmares. Smash your procrastination before it grows. How do you deal with procrastination? What procrastination-smashing tips are in your arsenal? Share your thoughts in the comments section, below.

I need it ASAP!! You have to get this to them ASAP!! Four words. As Soon As Possible. The implication of ASAP is that the task at hand is so important, we don’t even have time to sound out the words. We are putting an easy label on the priority of this request. Too easy, if you ask me. Too easy to toss around. You probably know someone who slaps “ASAP” on every task they discuss. Herein lies the problem. If everything is ultra-important, then nothing is important. Consider the difference between urgent and important. Urgent is happening in the moment. Someone is having a heart attack or the telephone is ringing. They are both urgent, but I am sure you would see the difference in their relative importance. We have been trained to launch into manic reactions to those four letters. I have seen countless times where ASAP was stamped onto e-mails that sent people into reactionary overdrive on something that should not have been done in the first place. The next time you see or hear those frequently (over)used four letters, do the opposite. Stop. Think. Act thoughtfully. Is it really important? What are we putting aside to deal with this and how important is that? Is there a better solution than the obvious or suggested reaction? Should we do it at all? When you have ADHD, seeing or hearing ASAP can prompt quick reactions without thought. Try thinking of it more as “As Soon As is Prudent”.